Indianapolis radio personality Ron Sexton says he's lucky to be alive after someone shot at him while he was in his car, early Sunday Morning in nearby Castleton, Indiana.
Sexton, whose persona is Donnie Baker on the syndicated Bob and Tom Show, has an idea who to assailant is and that he was specifically targeted. Sexton's rented car was riddled with nine bullet holes during the assault.
After the attack, Sexton fled in the vehicle to safety. He is said to be unhurt and safe Monday. Although he is concerned about his personal safety and the safety of his parents.
A police report indicates it happened around 2 a.m. Sunday at 82nd Street and Shadeland Avenue on the north side of Indianapolis.
The BOB & TOM Show had increased police presence at its WFBQ 95.1 FM Indianapolis studio this morning as the shooter remains at large. Q95 is owned by iHeartMedia. The show is syndicated by Westwood One.
News Corp named veteran U.K. journalist Emma Tucker as the next editor in chief of The Wall Street Journal, succeeding Matt Murray, who oversaw significant digital growth and guided the news organization through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms. Tucker, 56 years old, will assume her new position on Feb. 1, the company said Monday. Mr. Murray, also 56, will work with Ms. Tucker during a transition period until March 1. He will then continue in a senior position at News Corp, where he will work on new projects and report to Chief Executive Robert Thomson.
Emma Tucker
“As a long-time admirer and reader of the brilliant journalism of The Wall Street Journal, it is my honor to edit this great newspaper,” Ms. Tucker said in a statement. “I can’t wait to work with the entire team at the Journal and my new colleagues at Dow Jones, who have done so much in recent years to publish journalism that matters and set new records along the way.”
Tucker, who will be the first woman to lead the Journal, has served as editor of the Sunday Times, another News Corp publication, since January 2020. Among her achievements was the outlet’s coverage of the pandemic, which began early in her tenure, including a widely read article examining the British government’s missteps in preventing the spread of the virus.
As editor, Tucker has supported deeply reported investigations, tackling difficult subjects. Earlier this year, for example, the Sunday Times investigated the use of the epilepsy drug sodium valproate and its impact on unborn children.
At the Sunday Times, Tucker has prioritized audience growth, utilizing analytics and data to inform change in the newsroom, people who have worked with her say. On her watch, digital readership more than doubled, News Corp said. Digital subscriptions at the Times and Sunday Times grew from 320,000 at the end of 2019 to roughly 450,000 as of September 2022.
The Journal said Mr. Murray would take on a new role, reporting to Robert Thomson, the chief executive of Mr. Murdoch’s News Corp, The Journal’s parent company.
Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has unveiled the artists to be featured at the CRS 2023 New Faces of Country Music Show. The sold out show, taking place March 15 at Omni Nashville Hotel, will include performances by Priscilla Block, Jackson Dean, Frank Ray, Jelly Roll and Nate Smith.
“The radio and streaming partner constituencies of CRS have spoken and, word is, the future of country music is bright,” says CRB New Faces Committee Chairman Chuck Aly. “This year’s New Faces class comprises artists with admirable creative depth and burgeoning commercial impact. Translation: Don’t miss it!”
Formed in 1970, the annual New Faces of Country Music Show showcases five emerging artists who have achieved significant success at country radio during the qualification period.
CRS 2023 will feature educational panels, virtual networking, and workshops designed to provide instant, actionable takeaways. Country Radio Seminar will take place Monday, March 13 – Wednesday, March 15 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Registration for CRS 2023 is open now.
The radio airplay monitor MediaBase has announced that Columbia Records is the No. 1 label for overall airplay chart share in 2022. The Sony Music-owned company holds a 15.3 share, up 31% from an 11.7 last year — marking the greatest chart share growth for any record label since 2018, according to Variety.
It was also announced that Columbia holds the No. 1 label ranking for Top 40, going from 17.0 to 23.8 year-to-year, a 40% jump. Columbia is also No. 1 at Hot AC, moving from 15.8 to 22.0. It is also No. 2 for Mainstream AC and Triple A, as well as No. 4 ranking for both Rhythmic and Country.
Columbia is the leader in both the overall Top 10 Artists and Top 10 Songs chart for the year with four entries on each – more than any other label. The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s smash “Stay” comes in at No. 1 on the overall Songs chart, and the company also has three of the top four songs at Top 40 (“Stay,” “That’s What I Want” by Lil Nas X, and Harry Styles “As It Was), and 50% of the top 10 (Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow “Industry Baby” and Adele “Easy On Me”), as well as the #1 most played songs at both Hot AC (“Stay”) and Mainstream AC (Adele’s “Easy On Me”).
After nearly a decade at NBC10, Jim Rosenfield will be leaving WCAU to be closer to home and pursue new opportunities. His last day on-air will be Friday, Dec. 23.
Jim Rosenfield
The Philly Business Journal reports NBC10 viewers have seen Rosenfield cover the news with a steady hand at home and abroad; field anchoring breaking news from South Street to Paris; to exploring Pope Francis’ early days growing up in Argentina.
He moderated key local political debates — with some unplanned moments that required a doctor in the house — and managed to avoid outpacing fellow NBC10 runners, by instead co-hosting the station's annual coverage of the Blue Cross Broad Street Run. He’s earned more than half a dozen Emmy’s during his time in the NBC10 newsroom.
“New York is calling me home. After nine years at NBC10, I am excited to explore new opportunities and return to the place where I grew up, and where my family looks forward to having me around the corner,” said Rosenfield.
“We thank Jim for his contributions over the years to our team and his service to the community. We wish him the very best in his new chapter,” said Ric Harris, President and General Manager of NBC10 and Telemundo62.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico on Sunday, bringing a successful end to a 25-day test flight that sent the uncrewed vehicle around the moon and back to Earth. The flight, named Artemis I, helps pave the way for NASA’s program to return humans to the surface of the moon later in the decade for the first time since 1972. After spending more than three weeks in deep space, Orion began its descent through Earth’s atmosphere at 12:20 p.m. Eastern, reaching scorching temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius). The spacecraft performed an unusual skip entry technique, bouncing off the atmosphere to slow its speed before resuming its descent. The maneuver is intended to lower G forces that future astronauts will have to endure.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says the president of SpaceX gave him assurances that "the distraction that Elon might have on Twitter" will not affect the private space company https://t.co/9DBZ2AN7jQ
➤MUSK PLANS TO RELAUNCH TWITTER PREMIUM SERVICE, AGAIN: Elon Musk said Friday that Twitter plans to relaunch its premium service that will offer different colored check marks to accounts next week, in a fresh move to revamp the service after a previous attempt backfired. Twitter previously suspended the premium service, which under Musk granted blue-check labels to anyone paying $8 a month, because of a wave of imposter accounts. In the latest version, companies will get a gold check, governments will get a gray check, and individuals who pay for the service, whether or not they’re celebrities, will get a blue check.
Incoming House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, enthusiastically supports continuing to aid Ukraine in its hard-fought war against Russia. https://t.co/JqiuJtb2zY
➤SBF EXPECTED TO TESTIFY: After over a week of “will he, won’t he,” it looks like Sam Bankman-Fried will indeed (virtually) attend the House Financial Services Committee’s hearing on the collapse of his crypto empire on Tuesday. Don’t hold your breath for any major revelations — the FTX founder has warned “there is a limit” to what he can say. That’s probably wise, given US prosecutors are laying the groundwork for a potential fraud case against him.
ChatGPT set off an internet sensation that drew more than a million users in its first week and reignited interest in the effort to replicate human insight. https://t.co/1Din7hTs8p
💲CONGRESS WORKING TO AVOID GOV'T SHUTDOWN: The clock is ticking for Congress to pass a government funding package that will avert shutdown by Friday. Democrats intend to release a bill Monday that they think could pass both chambers, but the two parties remain about $26 billion apart, with just days to go.
Authorities in Scotland and the U.S. said on Sunday that the Libyan man suspected of making the bomb that destroyed a passenger plane over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 is now in U.S. custody. https://t.co/F8lW0csN4z
➤MAN ZIP-TIED, SET ON FIRE BY CAR THIEVES AFTER STOPPING TO HELP STRANDED WOMAN: A California man who stopped to help a seemingly stranded woman on the side of a road in Northern California last week was allegedly zip-tied and set on fire by her and two men who then stole his car. According to Fox 40, two men stepped out of the woman’s black SUV after she flagged the victim down just before 11 p.m. and held him at gunpoint before they restrained him and threw gasoline on him on a road about 40 miles north of Sacramento. The victim put out the fire by rolling on the ground and called 911 for help. He was treated at the hospital for burns but there's no word on his condition. The victims's car was found a few miles away along with a replica gun, no arrests have been made in the case.
➤FLORIDA WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER COPS FIND BUG INFESTATION, FECES, TRASH, 300 LOOSE RODENTS AND CHILD IN HOME: A Florida woman is under arrest after police say they found a child and multiple animals living in dirty conditions that included fecal matter, bugs and trash. Police say they responded to an animal cruelty call at the home of 38-year-old Shannon Marie Morgan, when authorities from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene, they were overwhelmed with the smell of ammonia inside the home and found several cages and glass aquariums housing snakes and rodents along with rats and cats that were loose, running around the home. Morgan has been arrested on 12 counts of animal cruelty and one count of child neglect with a total bond of $26,000.
Lou Merloni, the former Red Sox infielder who has been a full-time weekday host on WEEI for 11 years, is being let go from the station’s afternoon drive program, while fellow host Christian Fauria will move to middays.
Merloni’s contract expires at the end of the year. He was informed of the station’s plans early last week. There is a possibility he will contribute to the station’s Red Sox game coverage.
Merloni announced he was leaving the show in a tweet Sunday night. He will be on the show through this coming week and plans to explain his status Monday.
I’ll be back in studio tomorrow. Can’t wait to react to the week the Sox had, get you ready for Pats/Cards and talk about me leaving the show @MFMonWEEI See ya at 2!!
Fauria, the former Patriots tight end who joined WEEI in May 2014, will be paired with Andy Gresh in middays. Current co-host Rich Keefe is expected to be reassigned, possibly moving to nights.
The Boston Globe reports it is unclear what the station’s long-term plans are for afternoon drive. Meghan Ottolini, who joined Merloni and Fauria in May, is expected to remain on the program.
Christian Arcand, who joined the show as a producer and fill-in host in November, weeks after he was a victim of corporate budget cuts at 98.5 The Sports Hub, sat in for Merloni for most of last week.
Merloni’s departure will end a decade-plus run as a regular voice at the station. The Framingham native joined WEEI in 2008 as a frequent co-host of “The Big Show,’’ a year after his 15-season professional baseball career ended.
Merloni Fauria and Mego
In March 2011, Merloni was paired with Mike Mutnansky in middays in his first full-time role. Three years later, that show was broken up, with Fauria and Tim Benz joining Merloni. Benz left the station in July 2015 to return to his native Pittsburgh. That September, Glenn Ordway returned to the station in middays with Fauria and Merloni.
In July 2018, Ordway, Merloni, and Fauria – known as “OMF” – moved to afternoon drive. Ordway retired in August 2021. Merloni and Fauria hosted in tandem until Ottolini came aboard seven months ago.
The “Merloni, Fauria, and Mego” show finished third in afternoon drive in the summer Nielsen Audio ratings in Boston — the most recent full ratings book — among listeners ages 25-54 with a 6.0 share. That was a good distance behind the 19.6 share rival station 98.5 The Sports Hub got for its “Felger and Mazz” program, a ratings juggernaut for more than a decade.
This year has been a tough one for advertisers as inflation impacts consumer spending, causing ad spending to fall.
Here are three insights about the state of audio advertising and what’s in store:
1. Spotify keeps growing, but it isn’t unaffected by the advertising downturn
Spotify had a successful third quarter, adding 23 million monthly active users to its platform and growing total revenues 21% year over year.
A running start: Spotify had a head start over other music streaming services, said eMarketer analyst Daniel Konstantinovic on a recent “Behind the Numbers: The Daily” podcast.
Spotify debuted in the US in 2011 and quickly became the “go-to” platform for streaming music, long before competitors like Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited emerged.
Just for you: Spotify does personalization better than anyone else. The platform’s ability to provide personalized experiences for its users (think Spotify Wrapped and recommended playlists) helps it keep subscribers engaged and entice those not on the platform to give it a try.
Not-so-bright spot: Despite a surge in users, Spotify slightly missed the ad revenue mark.
Last year, third-quarter ad-supported revenues grew 75%. This year, that number was down to just 19%.
“[Spotify isn’t] immune to a big slowdown that’s happening in ad spending overall—it’s affecting everyone,” said Konstantinovic. “[The company is] going to have to cut through the noise a little bit and show that [it] can still grow after this downturn ends, or emerge from it in a better position.”
2. The podcast landscape is shifting
eMarketer predicts that worldwide podcast listener growth will continue to slow as the explosive rise in adoption over the pandemic levels off. Listener growth will mainly come from France, Germany, and China, which have some of the largest growth rates in our forecast outside of the US.
US spotlight: The number of US podcast listeners will grow 5.0% this year to reach 124.5 million. Time spent with podcasts is increasing as well, totaling 23 minutes a day this year and growing to 27 minutes by 2024.
Meanwhile, US ad spending on podcasts will increase 30.0% this year and continue to grow by double digits through 2026. Programmatic podcast ad spending will make up an increasing portion of total podcast ad spending, reaching nearly 10% by 2024.
3. Radio’s resilience persists
Staying alive: Around 214 million people in the US listen to traditional radio today, down just 3% since 2008.
Radio ad revenues have decreased ($11.10 billion this year, compared to $17.69 billion in 2008), but radio advertising is still in pretty good shape.
Though radio’s share of total media ad spend is shrinking (down to just 3.0% next year), advertisers may not want to count it out just yet. “I think radio stands to benefit a lot, especially right now,” said Konstantinovic. “[Its costs per thousand] are lower than other media, and radio has a very dedicated listenership. I think advertisers are very cautious about where to spend right now, and something like radio that’s cheap and effective and always there, it’s a safe bet for them.”
Something to think about: “Most of the country drives, so most of the country listens to radio,” observed podcast host Marcus Johnson. As cars evolve to become more connected/autonomous/electric, will that have an impact on radio listenership?
With the return of WNNX 99X and an upcoming slate of on-air staff, rumors immediately swirled who would come back early next year.
Rodney Ho at ajc.com reports one major player from the core 99X years ― Christopher “Crash” Clark ― on social media said this past week that he is staying put at television station 11Alive, where he has been a morning traffic guy since 2014.
“No, I have NOT been contacted to rejoin the old/new 99X,” he wrote. “I’m happily under contract at 11Alive as Atlanta’s Traffic Expert.”
So far, Atlanta-based Cumulus Media has not said who will be on air starting Jan. 3, but rumors have swirled that the station is trying to resurrect some semblance of the original Morning X, which featured Steve Barnes, Leslie Fram and Jimmy Baron. Axel Lowe, the longtime 99X afternoon host, stayed on when Cumulus started Rock 100.5 and is likely to stick around for the revamped version.
Yvonne Monet, who hosted a weekend dance show for 99X in the 1990s, is currently a midday host at sister top 40 station Q99.7. And the chief content officer at Cumulus, Brian Phillips, started 99X 30 years ago.
Another key player from 99X’s prime time is currently at a rival station: Steve Craig is morning host at 97.1/The River and also curates a secondary station called The Other Side of the River on 97.7, heard online and in parts of Gwinnett County. And Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb, two key latter-day hosts at the station, are now host a hugely successful sports talk morning show in Boston.
As cord cutting hits record levels, a new study from Horowitz Research finds that in 2022, almost two in ten (18%) TV content viewers report having a digital antenna and that digital antenna ownership has grown among younger viewers from 14% in 2021 to 23% in 2022.
TV Technology reports despite the growth in younger viewers, the penetration rates for OTA antenna was similar to 2021 and lower than the penetration during COVID, during which antenna adoption and usage spiked.
Notably, hyper-local content is very important to antenna owners, with 58% saying they are interested in hyper-local news and information from their specific community. The Horowitz study also found that interest in hyper-local content is on par with interest in national and regional news.
“There is still a healthy market for the live, linear local and hyper-local broadcast news and information that digital antennas can deliver for free to consumers,” notes Adriana Waterston, chief revenue officer and insights and strategy Lead for Horowitz Research. “But consumer education is critical to drive awareness, continued adoption, and viewership. There are many consumers who would benefit from having a digital antenna but don’t know it’s an option for them. It’s in the best interest of broadcasters to make a concerted effort to change that.”
The data is from Horowitz’s latest State of OTA 2022 report, which tracks the evolving market for over-the-air (OTA) antennas, wireless 5G home internet services, and other disruptive technologies. The study looks at the role digital antennas play in keeping consumers connected to live, linear broadcast content as Americans continue to shed traditional cable or satellite (MVPD) services.
The study found that younger viewers now over-index on digital antenna usage compared to their older (50+ year-old) counterparts (23% and 15%, respectively).
Twitter users roasted Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., for his tweet Thursday "demanding action" from Elon Musk on his claims of rising hate speech, which the CEO denied.
Schiff spoke on behalf of Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., after they wrote a formal letter to Musk and condemned his leadership, tweeting:
False, hate speech impressions are actually down by 1/3 for Twitter now vs prior to acquisition @CommunityNotes
Musk was far from the only user to torch Schiff's tweet. Many on Twitter slammed Schiff’s credibility, while also debating about the nature of what does or does not count as hate speech.
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton offered his assessment of the situation: "Corrupt congressman abuses office to call for mass censorship using fake stats. Threatens @ElonMusk."
Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald used Schiff's tweet as an educational moment for his audience: "Aside from these made-up numbers: do you see how -- to Democratic Party politicians -- dictating to social media companies what they can and can't platform, how they must censor, the role Democratic politicians play in all this, is just assumed as normal?"
The US music industry reached a significant milestone November 26, 2022 as for the first time ever, on-demand audio (ODA) streaming topped 1 trillion streams in a single year.
Given the 30s threshold to count as 1 stream, music fans in the US have cumulatively spent the equivalent of 951k years streaming music this year with a few weeks left to go, reports Luminate. If an individual user was capable of that much streaming on their own, they would have had to start around the time people started controlling fire nearly 1 million years ago to hit the 1T mark.
Within those 1T streams are numerous high-impact stories that helped shape the year in music, including Kate Bush’s juggernaut “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” (ranked #20 in US ODA YTD; 297m); the Latin genre surpassing Country for the first time ever in weekly ODA streaming during Bad Bunny’s album release week ending 5/12/22; and Taylor Swift’s record-setting Midnights album release in October.
Reaching 1 trillion on-demand audio streams in a single year is a huge feat and represents a 611% increase since 2015 when the U.S. industry generated 143B ODA streams. Additionally, the YTD 2022 figure is already 30B streams more than all of 2021 with four weeks left to go in the year.
In the latest US Music 360, Luminate sees positive signs in streaming in that it continues to skew toward younger generations. In fact, among music listeners, 98% of Gen Z, 97% of Millennials and 95% of Gen X all report using a streaming service (either paid or unpaid). Gen Z also reports spending the most time of any generation, listening to music at 15 hours per week. Growing the younger generations into loyal customers is a key ingredient of lifetime value and these stats support a healthy outlook.
➦In 1896...Guglielmo Marconi gave the first public demonstration of radio at Toynbee Hall, London.
➦In 1901...Marconi sends first Atlantic wireless transmission
Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the curvature of the earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less.
The message--simply the Morse-code signal for the letter "s"--traveled more than 2,000 miles from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to Signal Hill in Newfoundland, Canada.
Born in Bologna, Italy, in 1874 to an Italian father and an Irish mother, Marconi studied physics and became interested in the transmission of radio waves after learning of the experiments of the German physicist Heinrich Hertz. He began his own experiments in Bologna beginning in 1894 and soon succeeded in sending a radio signal over a distance of 1.5 miles. Receiving little encouragement for his experiments in Italy, he went to England in 1896.
He formed a wireless telegraph company and soon was sending transmissions from distances farther than 10 miles. In 1899, he succeeded in sending a transmission across the English Channel. That year, he also equipped two U.S. ships to report to New York newspapers on the progress of the America's Cup yacht race. That successful endeavor aroused widespread interest in Marconi and his wireless company.
Marconi's greatest achievement came on December 12, 1901, when he received a message sent from England at St. John's, Newfoundland. The transatlantic transmission won him worldwide fame.
Ironically, detractors of the project were correct when they declared that radio waves would not follow the curvature of the earth, as Marconi believed. In fact, Marconi's transatlantic radio signal had been headed into space when it was reflected off the ionosphere and bounced back down toward Canada.
Much remained to be learned about the laws of the radio wave and the role of the atmosphere in radio transmissions, and Marconi would continue to play a leading role in radio discoveries and innovations during the next three decades.
In 1909, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in physics with the German radio innovator Ferdinand Braun. After successfully sending radio transmissions from points as far away as England and Australia, Marconi turned his energy to experimenting with shorter, more powerful radio waves.
He died in 1937, and on the day of his funeral all British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stations were silent for two minutes in tribute to his contributions to the development of radio.
➦In 1913...Longtime CBS correspondent Winston Burdett was born in Buffalo NY. He was one of the original “Murrow’s boys” who covered Eastern Europe, North Africa and Italy during WWII and afterwards, for 22 years based in Rome. He died May 19, 1993 at age 79.
➦In 1915... Frank (Francis Albert) Sinatra was born in Hoboken, N.J. As well as an illustrious recording & broadcast career, he won an Oscar in 1953 for his supporting role in “From Here to Eternity.” He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1965. Sinatra died May 14 1998 suffering from a combination of heart & kidney disease, and bladder cancer. He was aged 82.
➦In 1937...the Federal Communications Commission was upset with NBC radio over a Sunday skit on the Charlie McCarthy Show that starred Mae West.
The satirical routine was based on the biblical tale of Adam and Eve and, well, it got a bit out of hand by the standards of the day. So, following the wrist-slap by the FCC, NBC banned Miss West from its airwaves for 15 years. Even the mere mention of her name on NBC was a no-no.
➦In 1957...KEX, Portland, Oregon Disc Jockey Al Priddy, was fired for playing Elvis Presley's rendition of "White Christmas." He violated the radio station's ban against the song. The station had banned Presley’s interpretations of Christmas carols.
➦In 1968...Actress Tallulah Bankhead died of pneumonia at 65. She was hostess of NBC Radio’s 90-minute Big Show 1950-52, and the following year, was one of the rotating hosts on NBC-TV’s All-Star Revue. Her last screen appearances were as the Black Widow on TV’s Batman in 1967.
➦In 1971...The man who headed Radio Corporation of America and put National Broadcasting Company together, David Sarnoff died at age 80.
